The present invention relates generally to power supply driver circuits, and more specifically, to a switching power supply driver circuit with reduced power consumption.
Switching power supplies utilize a transistor, such as a MOSFET, and a driving circuit configured to switch the transistor on and off. Power is provided to a load coupled to a switching power supply by controlling the switching of the transistor at a primary side of the power supply. The resulting power pulses provide power to a secondary side of the power supply, which in turn provides power to the load. To reduce power during standby modes, the frequency of power pulses provided by the power supply can be reduced, though doing so can cause the power provided to a load to sag as the load current increases. Alternatively, the capacitance of a secondary side capacitor can be increased, though doing so increases power supply costs.
The features and advantages described in the specification are not all inclusive and, in particular, many additional features and advantages will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in view of the drawings, specification, and claims. Moreover, it should be noted that the language used in the specification has been principally selected for readability and instructional purposes, and may not have been selected to delineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter.